Thursday, June 19, 2014

It's that time of the week for some Dark Horse goodness. This week we have two number one issues with Eye of Newt and Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland along with some continuing miniseries. Hit the jump for some more!

The reviews are graded according to the following scale:

Must Read. -- Do not miss this hot piece of comic action!

Buy It. -- For memories sake.

Check It. -- This is a toss up. Up to you really.

Byrne It. (skim it on the rack). -- Look at it but don't leave with it.

Avoid It. -- Steer clear.

Eye of Newt #1

Written by Mike Hague

Art by Mike Hague

Colors by Mike Hague

Words by Nate Piekos

CeeJay:Eye of Newt didn’t catch me like I wanted it to.
And that’s a shame because I admire everything about it; the art, the
world-building, the entire asthetic. I just don’t think I’m the intended
audience.

The story follows Newt, a young wizard’s apprentice who, after a
period of training, prepares for his final test. That’s pretty much it. Mike
Hague’s world is rich and complex right off the bat but not unfamiliar to those
who might enjoy the works of JRR Tolkien. Readers are kind of thrown into
everything head first but it’s not a difficult story to jump into.

The writing is serviceable. The world is set up pretty nicely and
the characters and their roles are clearly defined but the real star is Hague’s
art. One part tapestry and one part classical fantasy, the interiors are
imaginative and sort of remind me of chapter illustration in old fantasy
novels. It’s not for me but it’s definitely worth a look.

VERDICT - CHECK IT

Axe Cop: The American Choppers #2

Written by Malachi
Nicolle

Art by Ethan Nicolle

Colors by Dirk Erik
Schulz

Words by Ethan
Nicolle

CeeJay: This is ridiculous. Not to imply that Axe Cop isn’t
entertaining. It’s actually pretty hilarious when you get right down to it.
However, I was first introduced to these characters via the animated series on
FOX. But the end result is sort of like reading BOOM’s Cartoon Network tie-ins,
it’s just not the same on the page.

Ethan Nicolle’s world, crafted in part by his 10-year-old son and
co-writer Malachi, is funny and imaginative but it’s a bit of a stretch for 30
pages. The art is consistent and in line with the animated series there’s just
not much there for the uninitiated. However, I did get a good chuckle out of
the line, “Spoiler Alert: You’re all going to die.”

VERDICT - CHECK IT

Star Wars: Darth Maul –
Son of Dathomir #2

Written
by Jeremy Barlow

Art
by Juan Frigeri

Colors
by Wes Dzioba

Words
by Michael Heisler

Nevin:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is without a doubt
the best thing to come out of the crapshoot that was the prequel trilogy. It
expanded the universe with meaningful stories and characters, made Anakin’s descent
to the dark side more believable, and brought back the double-bladed lightsaber
wielding bad ass Darth Maul. Son of
Dathomir is based on unaired episodes of The Clone Wars, and it picks up where season 5 left us with Maul.

Issue #1 showed Maul escaping from Count
Dooku and Darth Sidous, and issue #2 shows a chess match unfolding between Sidious
and Mother Talzin. General Grievous and Dooku are sent after Maul and his
syndicate army on the planet Ord Mantell. Both sides have many pieces in play,
and the fight between them will be won by more than just blasters and
lightsabers.

The art of Frigeri is detailed with heavy
black lines and strong backgrounds in each panel. Each battle is full of
energy, and the colors of Dzioba mirror the dark tone of the comic. Basically,
it’s just nice to look at, and I love that Darth Maul sneer face. This comic
has everything you could want in a Star Wars story, Mandalorians, Siths, space
battles, lightsabers. It’s pure fun like the animated series, and I cannot wait
for more.

VERDICT – MUST READ

Brain
Boy: The Men from G.E.S.T.A.L.T. #2

Story
by Fred Van Lente

Art
by Freddie Williams II

Colors
by Jeremy Colwell

Words
by Nate Piekos

Nevin:
I
have to give Lente some major props. The man knows how to start out each issue
with a bang. First issue had an intense assault on the White House, and this
issue has a psychic battle of projections between two airplanes. It’s a
fantastic way to start an issue. The rest of the issue deals with Matt Price, aka
Brain Boy, and agent Faraday getting closer to Arkady’s compound.

I missed out on the first Brain Boy
miniseries, so I’m a little lost on what is going on story wise with the agency
and some of the characters. The interaction between them brings out clear characterizations,
but if this is supposed to be a jumping on point some kind explanations in the
comic would be nice. While I may be a little lost, I can still appreciate the
sarcasm of Price that keeps the story feeling light-hearted. His description of
the astral plane is hilarious.

William II knows his way around an action
scene, and his art for them is wonderful. Thick, rough lines with heavy shading
seem to be his style. From the ghostly projections flitting around doing battle
to the suit that Price uses, it’s all complimented well by Colwell’s light coloring.
The battle in the sky is a major standout in the coloring department with the
different shades of blues and purple between combatants.

Brain
Boy
is a fun superpowered spy comic, with wit, and great action. Even if the story
behind most of what’s going on is beyond me, the comic has more than enough
going for it to recommend a read.

VERDICT – BUY IT

Witchfinder:
The Mysteries of Unland #1

Story
by Kim Newman and Maura McHugh

Art
by Tyler Cook

Colors
by Dave Stewart

Words
by Clem Robins

Nevin: Based on one of
Mike Mignola’s properties in the Hellboy universe, Witchfinder follows the investigations of Sir Edward Grey as he
uncovers mysteries usually dealing with the occult. Grey is sent to Hallam to
investigate the murder of a crown servant, a task he finds beneath him. Upon
his arrival at Hallam, he slowly comes to realize that supernatural powers are
at work here, and he must uncover the mystery of Unland.

Even if you didn’t know the character deals
with supernatural properties, the art would be a dead giveaway. The art of Cook
and colors of Stewart give a dreary, gothic touch to each panel. Every page
feels like something ghastly could happen at any moment. It fits the
supernatural investigation angle of the story well. The art especially comes
alive when Grey meets horrific eels that surely live in people’s nightmares.

Witchfinder is a slow burn,
Lovecraftian tale. The pacing and art are perfect for a first issue, and the
creeping mystery leaves you wanting more. If you’re down with Victorian era
horror, than you need to give this comic a try.

VERDICT – MUST READ

The
Witcher #4

Story
by Paul Tobin

Art
by Joe Quiero

Colors
by Carlos Badilla

Words
by Nick Piekos

Nevin: As bells from the
titular House of Glass ring, Geralt and Vara come rushing back to figure out
what is wrong only to find Jakob having an awkward meal with his dead wife.
After an awkward daddy-hit-mommy-at-the-dinner-table kind of silence, Geralt
regales the guests with a tale of love, in a witcher kind of way. Made obvious
from the tense meal, emotions are running high for our heroes as being bottled
up in this haunting mansion continues to grate on their nerves.

No one understands what is happening in
this mansion or what power it has over them. To make matters worse, the naked
grave hag keeps on popping up and heckling Geralt and friends, boobs sagging
out (much to their and our dismay) as she cackles from a distance. Querio’s art
is still as fitting as ever for the world of The Witcher, and his grave hag is still a gruesome sight in major
need of clothes. This chapter treats us to more of the dry manners and humor
that Geralt is known for and some of his famous sexy time while still not
telling us what the hell is going on in this house.

In all truthfulness, not much happens in
this chapter except showing the agitation the house is causing on our
characters. We are still not any closer to solving the mystery of this house though
the issue ends with definite promise for reveals in the next installment. As
said of previous issues, if you’re a fan of The
Witcher, you’ll still enjoy everything here.

3
comments:

Thanks Álvaro! If it helps, think of it as a 1-5 scale with the best being 5 (Must Read) and worst being 1 (Avoid it). The full rundown is like this:Must Read. -- Do not miss this hot piece of comic action!Buy It. -- For memories sake.Check It. -- This is a toss up. Up to you really.Byrne It. (skim it on the rack). -- Look at it but don't leave with it.Avoid It. -- Steer clear.

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